WaterFilter.com

The Regional Cuisines of Chinese Cooking (Part 2 of 4)

Szechuan: the western cuisine

Szechuan, the largest province in China, lies in a vast, densely populated, and fertile basin surrounded by mountains. Its principal connection eastwards is through the spectacular deep, narrow gorges cut by the Yangtze River. For centuries, due to its geography, the Yangtze River was the province's only means of communication with the outside world. Szechuan, in literal Chinese translation, means "Four Streams" and refers to the four main tributaries of the Yangtze River, which flows through the province.

With its sub-tropical, warm, and humid climate providing fertile soil, crops can be grown almost all year round, making Szechuan one of the most prosperous and economically self-sufficient regions of China . This area has been viewed by many as China in a microcosm and is often perceived as a country within a country. The Chinese call the Szechuan basin, "Tien Fu Chih Kuo", which literally means "Heaven on Earth."

Rice is grown in the summer, harvested in the late fall, and replaced by wheat to be harvested in the spring. Fruit, bamboo groves and vegetables grow in abundance, as well as edible mushrooms and fungi, such as wood ears and the silver fungi. Spices grow plentiful here too, particularly chilies and the famous Szechuan peppercorns.

Szechuan food is best known for being hot, and spicy. Chilies, which are indigenous to the region, are used in great quantities in dishes, and are the most striking feature of Szechuan cuisine. The use of chilies comes from a popular regional belief that eating spicy food induces profuse perspiration that keeps the body cool, which in turn helps expel the toxins in the body and keeps one healthy. Another is that the "heat" from chilies and spicy food stimulate one's palate to be able to indulge the different tantalizing flavors presented in Szechuan cuisine.

Spiciness is not the only distinguishing feature of Szechuan cuisine. It utilizes the different textures of wide varieties of ingredients to produce chewy and crunchy dishes. Pungent flavored vegetables such as onions, garlic, and green onions are used frequently. It also takes advantage of the aromatic, nutty flavor of cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, and sesame seeds by incorporating them into dishes. The peppers lend an immediate fiery, numbingly hot, sensation to the food. But once this initial phase passes, an array of flavor of sweet, sour, salty, and bitterness asserts itself. Sesame paste is often the principal ingredients in sauces, although the use of sauces in Szechuan cuisine is not common, as the many dishes are fried and tend to be drier. Szechuan is also known for its food preservation techniques, because the warm, humid climate makes it difficult to keep food fresh. Salting, drying, smoking and pickling are popular methods used by households.

A neighboring province of Yunnan, is worth mentioning here. It lies in the far southwest, a mountainous and secluded region, and served as a cultural bridge between China , India , and Burma. With it being geographically isolated from the rest of China , Yunnan developed over the years as a highly distinctive cuisine of its own. Its best known delicacy is the ham, which many consider the best in the world. It is also noted for its game, such as rabbit and venison, and it is the origin of exotic menu items such as bear's paws, snakes, snails, and slugs.

Next, in part 3 of the 4 part series, we will cover Shanghai (Chekiang-Kiangsu): the eastern cuisine.

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com

MORE ARTICLES:

Drinking Distilled Water: Are There Benefits?
The topic of drinking distilled water versus tap water has raged for many years. Some claim that it is necessary to drink tap water since it contains fluoride (to combat cavities) and the necessary minerals the human body needs. On the other hand, others argue that drinking distilled water cleanses the body, is void of any contaminants, and is the purest form of water. Once popular only among health circles, distilled water has gained momentum in the general population.

K-mart Bottled Water ? Really That Good?
K-Mart bottled water is said to be great, but is it? In early 2005, John Stossel of ABC News did a special report on bottled water. Stossel and his team talked to people about why they choose bottled water over tap water. Most said, of course, they chose bottled water because they consider it safer. Some chose bottled water because it tasted better.

Healthy Diet Podcast Provides Weekly Encouragement to Those Wanting to Take Charge of Their Health
The Healthy Diet Podcast at http://healthydiet.weblogstop.com offers weekly health tips, encouragement, education and humor for people who seriously want to achieve or maintain a healthy, disease free lifestyle.

Aquarion Water Company Receives Connecticut's Best DPUC Customer Service Satisfaction Rating for Water Utilities
Significantly improved score is the result of renewed focus on responsiveness.

Contact Lens Replacement Services
When people damage their contact lenses on any given day of the week, sometimes it is necessary to replace them quickly because the person may not have a pair of eyeglasses that they can wear in the meantime. They may consult their doctor and have a replacement pair ordered through regular channels.

Healthy Eating And Super Food - 3 Food Categories That Help Burn Fat
I'm wondering if you're already aware of what I'm about to share with you? There is some good news for people trying to lose fat and slim down to a healthier and more attractive lifestyle: there are actually foods you can eat with will burn fat for you with any effort on your part. Even better, they can easily be assimilated into any diet; in fact, you may already be eating them on a regular basis and not even know it.

A Water Sediment Filter Will Remove Foreign Particles But Not Microbiological Elements
A water sediment filter removes the debris that flows with the water through your pipes into your faucets. From your faucet some of this sediment can move into your receptacles unless you have a water sediment filter in place. This sediment could be pieces of rust, sand or other tiny particles that one might miss looking at the water with the naked eye. These tiny pieces of sediment that get into the flow of the water can clog other instruments such as strainers that are used to clear the water.

Connecticut Entrepreneur Creates Powerful Website Dedicated to Healthy Weight Loss
Local entrepreneur launches website specifically designed to help individuals worldwide lose unwanted weight while maintaining proper health.

Motivate Yourself to Eat Healthy
Eating healthy is something that we all know is important to our well-being yet, instead of preparing healthy meals, we stop at the drive-thru or we eat packaged foods or fried foods that are high in saturated fat and carbohydrates If we indulged every once in awhile it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal, but too many of us indulge in these foods all the time and we are paying for it in the way of declining health and weight gain

Bromate in Bottled Water
Bromate originates from the bromide ion and may form in some bottled water sources due to the disinfection process of ozonation. Even if the source water does have the bromide ion in it, very often the finished product carries no trace of bromate. It depends on a number of other factors such as how hard the water is, its alkalinity, PH and other chemistry factors as well as the ozone contact time. Another deciding factor is how much actual bromide ion was in the water to start with.

See How Easily You Can Stop Baby Gas Pain With Gripe Water
Is your baby gassy If your baby relentlessly seems to be bothered by painful gas due to colic, as a parent, you may be extremely upset and frustrated when all your attempts to calm her come to no avail

Facts about favourite drink Coffee
The world's favorite drink has to be a cup of coffee. Many of us cannot wake without that cup in the morning. Even though there are new additions and varieties nothing stops this trend. It has been since the day of its discovery. The first place coffee was consumed was in Africa. It is said a goatherd saw his goats eating some berries and acting quite funny. He tried out some berries himself and found it quite refreshing.

Coffee Cupping For The Fun Of It
Coffee cupping is a method to compare the different characteristics of a coffee bean. Cupping lets us compare different coffees against each other to evaluate the uniqueness between them.

What Are The Healthy Weight Loss Supplements?
If you have read some of my other writings on the subject of weight loss I think you will know that I am not a big proponent of weight-loss through supplements. However, if for whatever reasons you want or you need to use supplements to lose weight, what would be the most healthy weight-loss supplements to use?